We have an old casement window over the sink in the kitchen of our contemporary ranch style house. It's bout 45" wide and 50" high. The view from this window is So. California hills and mountains and it's the only window in the kitchen with this particularly nice view. My wife and I want to replace the window.

My wife and I don't like the idea of installing another window that has a vertical (or horizontal) separator through the middle of the view. Wife still wants a window with some kind of ventilation capability.

I was thinking of a single non-opening window with a 3 or 4 inch X 45" wide "crank" opening window on the bottom. That way the view has very minimal obstruction and we still get ventilation when we want it.

I understand that manufacturers can custom build just about anything but I was wondering if anyone might have an alternative solution and supplier?

i would never recommend an awning window that is 45x50. first of all you would be lucky to find amanufacture that would do it and warranty it. it is simply too big and too heavy to operate correctly over time.
i would recommend a garden window with side crankouts or even an oriel double hung. just my thoughts.good luck

Thanks to all. The best solution seems to be a fixed window above and a
small casement or awning window on the bottom. The fixed window does
not require a screen so the view is clearer than it would be if it were a large awning window (Lowes showed me that Pella does make the large size). The smaller window at the bottom (either awning or casement) requires an interior screen. I could go with a slider on the bottom but would not get as much ventilation.

The problem is that the minimum height awning that Pella makes is 14". I
was hoping for 8-10 inches as the lower it is the better the overall view. I
see the entire window was going to cost about $500 and now I have to inquire about a true custom build. Installation's another $200-300.

We also replaced a large window in the kitchen. We get a lot of afternoon sun on that side of the house, so we also wanted ventalation.

We purchased a large garden window. It is 46 inches wide and probably at least 40 inches tall. It has a rack in the middle which you can remove if you don't want it. We used ours for a while then removed it. It has 18 inch tall windows on each side that slide up for air flow, with screens. No view is blocked and it lets in so much light! We ended up getting it at Home Depot. This was 5 years ago, and we still love the window and are quite pleased with our choice.

Appreciate the comments. I can't find enough info on the reverse oriel and the garden window won't work for a bunch of reasons.

I believe the fixed pane in the top and either a narrow casement or awning window in the bottom is the best answer for my situation, but problems!

I went to both Home Depot and Lowes to price / order a window (total int. about 47"W x 37"H). They both went through all the windows they offer and the smallest casement or awning window for the bottom is over 12" high. I'm 6' 4" and my wife's about 5' so I don't want something obstructing my view at the top or hers at the bottom. I want something that's only 8 - 10 inches high but they showed me that it's just not offered. NOTE: It's not that a combination window has restrictions. The manufacturers I saw do not offer ANY casement or awning windows under 12+ inches high, period!

I know this could be because of some code restrictions but I would think that some company would construct and ship a true "custom size" window. I'm looking for a very well made vinyl clad or possibly all vinyl window, but that's not set in stone.

From the prices I've seen so far I figure it's gonna cost me at least $800 to
have this built and installed. At that price or higher, I'm not going to cheap out to get something that's not quite right or not made well.

you are correct that no one will manufacture a window that is only 8-10 inches tall. the reason has nothing to do with code. it is because it would look absolutely ridiculous. you will have more vinyl then glass. if you go with two windows in your opening no matter what kind or style they will have to be mulled together which will create a good 5-7 inches of vinyl frame going across your opening. you are trying to have the best of both worlds {understandably}. if you want a clear view put in a picture window. if you want the least obstruction but have it operational, use an oriel as i stated in an earlier post. it will give you apprx. a 1-1 1/2" vinyl obstruction. i really think you will be happier with that then horizontally mulling two windows together. good luck

window rep:
I see that almost every manufacturer offers a combination
fixed/awning or fixed/casement window. From the pictures I was shown there is no wide chunk of vinyl between the two pieces, only a single separating piece about 2 1/2" wide. BUT, they don't make those windows with a bottom that's smaller than 12" high.

Now that I've been able to find a little more info on the reverse oriel they are a contender. The only issue I have is that there don't seem to be many major manufacturers carrying them. Andersen, Pella, and Marvin don't seem to carry reverse oriel windows. What manufacture's would you suggest?

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